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( No-Model.)

[i J. O'BRIEN.

- ELEGTRIG SWITGH; No. 442,996. Patented Dec. 16, 1890.

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7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN OBRIEN, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,996, dated. December 16, 1890.

Application filed August 28, 1890. Serial No. 363,254. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN OBRIEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

The object. of this invention is a swltch,by means of which a break or disturbance in the electric circuit through a telephone or other electrical device can be corrected as soon as the cause of disturbance is detected.

The peculiar and novel construction of my switch is pointed out in the following specification and claim, andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows the switch in position when the metallic line circuit and the circuit through the telephone or other electrical device is intact. Fig. 2 shows the switch in position when the metallic-line circuit is broken or disturbed while the circuit through the telephone or other electrical device is intact. Fig. 3 shows the switch in position when the metallic-line circuit is intact and the circuit through the telephone or other electrical device is disturbed.

In the drawings, the letters A B designate two switch-levers, which are in metallic contact with each other. In the example illustrated by the drawings both levers have a common pivot, which forms the metallic connection between the two levers; but a separate pivot may be provided for each lever and the metallic connection produced by a wire connecting to the two pivots. Two contactplates (0 a Z) Z) respectively are provided for each of the two levers A B, and the electrical conditions are as follows: The wires 10 and 11 are two line-wires, which are intended to form part of a metallic circuit through an electrical device, such as a telephone T. Their ends are fastened in binding-posts c c, from which connection is made with the telephone T, or with any other electrical device. The wire 12 runs from a binding-post d to the ground G, and the contact-plate a connects with the line-wire 10, while the contact-plate ctconnects with the ground-wire 12. The contactplateb connects by a wire 13 with a bindinglightning-arrester O, and the return-wire 15 extends from the telephone to the lightningarrester C and connects with line-wire 11, as will be hereinafter more fully explained. The contact-plate 12 connects by a wire 16 with a binding-post f, and thence by a wire 17 with the telephone T. hen all the parts of the metallic circuit are in good working order, switch-levers A B are placedin the position shown in Fig. 1, and the circuit isclosed from line-wire 11 through wire 15 to the telephone T and through wires 14 and 13 and switch-levers B A to line-wire 10. If the line wire 10 should become inoperative from some cause, the switch-lever A is turned to the position shown in Fig. 2 and a circuit is established from line-wire 11 through wire 15 to the telephone and through wires 13 and 14 to contact-plate b, thence through the switchlever B A and contact-plate a to ground-wire 12. If the connection between the wire 14: and the telephone should be broken, which takes place, for instance, if the lightning-arrester 0 should be burned out, the switch-lever B is turned to the position shown in Fig. 3 and the circuit is established from line-wire 11 through wire 15 to the telephone, and thence through wires 17 and 16, contact-plates b, and switch-levers B A to lino-wire 12. In case the line-wire 10 should become inoperative at the same time when the connection between the contact-plate b and the telephone is broken the switch-lever A is turned upon the contact-plate a and switch-lever B upon the contact-plate b and the circuit through the telephone is established. A second pair of switch-levers A B is provided, so that it the line-wire 11 should become inoperative or the connection of the wire 15 with the telephone loecome interrupted the circuit can be established simply by manipulating these switchdevers in the same manner as the switch=levers A B are manipulated.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In an electric switch, the combination of the pivoted switclrlevers, the pairs of contactplates at a b 1), the lightning-arrester G, the

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telephone '1, the connection between the lightning-arrester and the telephone, the connection extending from the contact-plate Z1 directly to the telephone, and connections 5 with the line-wires and the ground, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing \vitnesses.

JOHN OBRIEN.

Witnesses:

WM. 0. HAUFF, E. F. KASTENHUBER. 

